New Norway spruce centerpiece for downtown Wonder Lake holiday event, Christmas at the Lake

The idea behind the original Norway spruce at the Wonder Lake “Triangle” at Hancock and East Lake Shore drives is that it would grow and become a centerpiece for village events, Village President Dan Dycus said.

Village Trustee Joe Houston, however, compared the 5-foot pine with Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. In that classic holiday cartoon, the tree is known for being a bit small and very bare.

The Wonder Lake tree also was growing in a bit crooked, Houston said.

That tree was removed Wednesday by Heritage Farm Nursery and replaced with a taller, 19-foot Norway spruce that Stonewater subdivision developer Andy Teegen donated to Wonder Lake.

On Saturday morning, volunteers from the Wonder Lake Community Club and the village of Wonder Lake will put lights and decorations on the new tree in preparation for Christmas at the Lake.

Set for 1 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 2 at 7602 Hancock Drive, the event is the second this year the two organizations have partnered on.

Activities for the event include a DJ playing music with games and prizes, crafting tables, hot chocolate and horses from Operation Wild Horse. Based out of the Bull Valley Equestrian Center, the nonprofit works with military veterans and their families, partnering them with horses.

The parade is set to kick off at 4 p.m. and includes decorated golf carts, ATVs and any other nonhighway motor vehicles. The participating floats are asked to hand out candy along the route.

Residents on the west side of Wonder Lake who would like to be in the parade should meet at 2 p.m. at Wonder Lake Village Hall, 4444 Thompson Road, for a police escort to the parade route.

At 4:45 p.m. at the Triangle, the Winter Wonderland Princess and Jr. Princess will be crowned, and the new tree will be lit for the season after the parade, Houston said.

More information on vendors and events are available on the Village of Wonder Lake Facebook page.

The previous evergreen at the triangle park won’t end up in someone’s living room for the holidays. Instead that tree was returned to Heritage Farms to be replanted, allowing the tree to grow for a few more years, said Steve Schey, who oversaw its removal Wednesday.